by B. J Daniels
“What do you make of it?” Thorn said behind her, making her jump.
She turned to face him. “It looks like Geneva and her boyfriend were here since Friday evening and all was well before it apparently went wrong. I was just trying to figure out what she would do now.”
“She didn’t call for help,” he pointed out.
“That’s if she was even here,” JJ said. “Baker could have come by and found only the boyfriend here.”
“But it’s her car parked next to the house,” Thorn said.
“Her boyfriend could have been driving it.”
He shook his head. “You still want to believe that she’s not behind her own kidnapping or the possible murder of Johnny Baker?” He sounded past disbelieving, looking at her as if she was delusional or worse.
“She rented this place and she was here with I assume her boyfriend,” JJ said, turning back to look at the bedroom and the strewn clothing. “Or at least someone wants us to believe she was here.”
Thorn swore under his breath. “Face it, she’s on the run from this, from the kidnappers she double-crossed, from us. Her car is parked outside the house. There is no running from this. We can’t ignore it. The cops have to be called.” As if seeing her concern, he added, “Don’t worry. I’ll call the judge and let him handle it. Meanwhile, we’ll make sure we were never here. I suspect those three in the boat are going to call this in. We don’t want to be around with the cops show up.”
* * *
“WHAT IF GENEVA isn’t behind the kidnapping plot?” JJ asked as they walked back to the motorcycle in the trees. “Her boyfriend could have planned the whole thing, and she knew nothing about it.”
“Until Johnny Baker shows up? Great theory. So where is she? Why didn’t she call the cops?” He could see that JJ didn’t have the answers any more than he did. “She’s in trouble no matter how it goes down, and we know that we aren’t the only ones looking for her.”
His cell phone rang. He stopped walking to take a call from the judge.
“I have the owner of the stolen plane. His name is Ridge Brandemiller. He owns a construction company in the area called Brandemiller Brothers. You asked about that property on the lake where a home is being built. The brothers are constructing it.”
“Thanks. I have another small problem.” He quickly told him what they’d found at the rental property Geneva had booked for a week. “It appears Johnny Baker has been dead since yesterday sometime.”
“And Geneva?”
“In the wind. Her car’s still here, though, but no sign of her. Or of the man she was with. Or of a second struggle.” He knew what the judge was asking. Was it possible she too had been killed and they had missed seeing her body because it was in the lake or the pines?
“Thorn.” The judge cleared his throat. “Franklin is anxious to talk to this woman who was staying in his granddaughter’s house.”
“I’m sure he is, but right now I’m not letting her out of my sight,” Thorn said. “Not until I know who is behind this.”
To his surprise, the judge didn’t argue. Instead, the man said, “That number you had me check on? It’s a burner phone.”
Of course it was.
“I’ll make the 911 call,” the judge said. “But you need to get out of there.”
“That’s what we’re doing,” Thorn said. “We’re going to check on this Brandemiller lead. I’ll get back to you.”
As he disconnected, he said to JJ, “Might have a lead on the man you met before you went in that old cabin’s root cellar.” She swung up onto his motorcycle behind him. He felt her arms encircle his waist. But before he could start the motor, her cell phone rang.
She dug the phone out of her pocket. He turned and saw her eyes widen.
“Who is it?” he asked, suddenly on alert.
“I don’t know. The number is blocked. There are only a few people who have my cell phone number.” Her gaze locked with his. “Geneva is one of them.”
* * *
THE PHONE RANG AGAIN. JJ stared at Thorn. “I have to answer it.”
He nodded in agreement. “Go ahead. Keep it where I can hear.”
She cleared her voice and, fingers trembling, swiped the screen. “Hello?”
“Jenny?” The word was whispered in a breathless tone. “It’s Geneva. Geneva Davenport.”
“Geneva, where are you?”
“I’m so sorry.” The woman sounded as if she was crying.
“Geneva, you need to go to your grandfather’s and stay there until—”
“I can’t. You don’t understand.”
“Just tell me where you are. I can help you.” No answer. “Geneva? Where are you?” She heard the line go dead.
“Try calling her back,” Thorn said.
She did, but the call went straight to voice mail, only to have the recording tell her that the number’s voice mail was full. She disconnected and looked at Thorn.
“We can’t stay here,” he said, and started the bike. They roared up the road and onto the highway. As they headed back toward Polson, they passed a sheriff’s department cruiser with its lights flashing, followed by another one and an ambulance.
JJ realized that they’d barely gotten out of there in time.
* * *
“WHEN THE KIDNAPPERS CALL, you need to ask for proof of life,” WT told his friend.
Franklin let out a curse. “We don’t even know that they have Geneva.”
“Exactly.”
His friend got to his feet and began to pace. “We can’t keep making demands.”
“We also can’t seem to anxious to pay the ransom demand,” WT pointed out. “The kidnappers have seen enough movies and television kidnappings. They know how this goes.”
Franklin was making himself a drink when his cell rang. He dropped the glass in his hand. It shattered on the floor. He looked to the judge. WT could see that he didn’t want to do it.
“Hello?”
WT moved closer to listen. The kidnapper had started talking about the ransom drop when Franklin cleared his throat and stopped him.
“I’m going to need proof of life.” The kidnapper started to argue, but his friend continued. “Today’s newspaper will do, with my granddaughter holding it. Otherwise, we have nothing to talk about. You can text it to me.”
WT watched in surprise as Franklin disconnected and swore.
“I hate these bastards.” The man’s voice broke. “I want to kill them.”
Helen hurried to clean up the broken glass before Franklin could step in it as he turned to make himself another drink.
He could feel his friend’s frustration and anger. He just needed Franklin to hold it together a little longer.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
JJ DIDN’T KNOW how far they’d gone. Nor had she paid any attention to where they were going. It wasn’t until Thorn slowed and pulled into Finley Point state campground that she looked up.
She kept thinking about Geneva’s voice. She’d sounded scared, but not necessarily in imminent danger. She hoped the woman would take her advice and go to her grandfather’s. But even if she didn’t, maybe she would call back.
“What are we doing?” she asked as Thorn pulled into an empty campsite and cut the engine. She climbed off the bike, surprised how stiff she was. She’d been clinging to him for miles. The sun had topped the pines and blazed down, making the day downright hot.
“I don’t know about you,” he said, “but I need a swim.”
She blinked as he shrugged out of his jacket, tossed it onto his bike seat and began to pull off his T-shirt.
“A swim?” she repeated.
He glanced up through the tall pines, squinting in the direction of the sun. “It’s hot and if I’m not mistaken, that’s a lake.”
She had to admit, she could appreciate
his logic. She smiled as she took off her jacket and added it to the pile on his bike seat and then stopped. “That is, if I had a swimsuit.”
He grinned at her. “Come on, Foster. I’ve already seen it all.”
“You swore you didn’t look,” she joked.
His grin broadened.
She cocked her head at him. “Anyway, you haven’t seen it all.”
“Nor will I if you go into the lake in your underwear,” he said as he kicked off his shoes and socks and began to drop his jeans. “Or if you have the guts, bare-ass naked.”
Laughing, she took off her shirt to reveal the lacy bra she’d put on that morning.
He let out a low whistle. “Pretty damned sexy.”
She turned around to slip out of her jeans. When she turned back, he was already headed for the water. She saw that he was wearing boxer briefs and couldn’t help smiling to herself. She followed in her matching underwear, telling herself that it was no more revealing than the bikini she normally swam in.
Thorn dived in with a splash. The moment her feet touched the water, she had to agree this had been a great idea, all things considered. She walked out deeper and then dived, coming up next to him. There were water droplets on his dark eyelashes. His gray eyes shone in the sunshine glinting off the lake’s surface. He was smiling. She’d never seen a more appealing man.
“Race you,” he said, and dived again before he began to swim along the beach.
She never could resist a challenge and took off after him.
They stopped farther up the beach, both breathless and laughing because she’d given him a race for his money. They stood in water up to their necks, breathing, laughing and just looking into each other’s eyes.
JJ felt the sun on her shoulders, but the real heat was at her center under his unwavering gaze. Thorn was the first to break eye contact.
“We should probably dry out,” he said, his voice sounding strained.
She nodded, and they swam back down the beach. After climbing out of the water, Thorn lay facedown on the warm green grass beside the lake. She joined him, careful to put a little distance between them.
Neither said anything for a long while. JJ relished the heat of the sun and the warm summer breeze that began to dry her body, as well as her undergarments.
“The good news is that Geneva’s still alive,” Thorn said, apparently going to ignore that moment between them earlier, which was fine with her.
“I wish I could have talked her into going to her grandfather’s.”
“I’m sure she has her reasons. If she started this whole mess...” He let those words float in the pine-and-lake-scented air for a moment.
“Maybe she thinks she can fix it. But she sounded scared to me, as if she isn’t sure who she can trust.”
Thorn looked at her and chuckled. “So her travel agent is the only person she trusts?”
JJ’s chin shot up. “I’ll have you know I’m very good at my job, and I don’t just book flights and make hotel reservations. I arrange VIP accommodations. From the moment a client leaves her home through the entire trip. Everything is taken care of and at a very high level.”
His smile broadened. “I’m sure you are great at what you do. When this is over, maybe I’ll have you book me something.”
She sat up a little to lean on one elbow to look at him as she raised a brow. “Domestic or overseas?”
“Surprise me. In the meantime, we need to keep digging. The stolen plane was owned by Ridge Brandemiller. Also, not a coincidence, the house that was being built on the water near the cabin you were taken to is being built by Brandemiller Brothers Construction. I thought we would swing by their office and see if we can find out why construction workers are looking for Geneva. Maybe it’s about money. But maybe they are involved in the kidnapping since it was Brandemiller’s plane the kidnappers allegedly stole that night.”
“It’s Sunday,” she pointed out. “Do you really think anyone will be there?”
“Probably not, but we can have a look around.”
It seemed a long shot that Ridge Brandemiller was behind the kidnapping. Why use his own plane? Even claiming it was stolen would attract the authorities’ attention. She would think that would be the last thing he would want to do if he was involved in the kidnapping.
But they had to follow up on any lead. Geneva was alive. Or had been earlier. JJ had no clue how to find her. Johnny Baker was dead, and soon the authorities would be looking for Geneva, as well. It felt as if time was running out. She certainly hoped not. All her instincts told her that Geneva Davenport was in trouble. Maybe of her own making, but nonetheless in danger.
She and Thorn stayed in the sun awhile longer, turning over and closing their eyes as the radiant heat continued to dry their undergarments. There was no hurry since the construction company would be closed. A few fluffy white clouds bobbed along in a sea of blue. It was late afternoon by the time they dressed and headed for Brandemiller Brothers Construction.
Thorn swung into the yard of a huge construction operation, most of it surrounded by a high chain-link fence.
As he stopped, JJ said, “There’s a note on the door of the office,” and hopped off the bike to check it. She came back grinning. “Company barbecue.” She told him the address that had been on the note. “I think we should stop by.”
“After our swim, a barbecue sounds perfect,” Thorn joked. “Let’s go see if you recognize anyone.”
JJ told him how to get to the place on the lake. The moment they turned down the private road, they began seeing vehicles parked along the sides. Thorn kept going until they could see the house.
It was massive stone and glass set against the backdrop of the lake and the Mission Mountains.
“Impressive,” she said as he found a place to park the motorcycle. “The brothers must be doing all right financially. So why worry about the money Geneva apparently owes?”
“Appearances can be deceiving, I’ve heard,” Thorn said. “They might be deep in debt and desperate. A ten-million-dollar infusion could be what they need to stay afloat.”
“Maybe,” she said, remembering the cocky man who’d told his men to hang on to her. He’d definitely had something going on, and yet he didn’t seem desperate, just annoyed that he couldn’t get his hands on Geneva. Then again, maybe he didn’t want his men to know how desperate he was.
As they neared the house, they began to see several hundred people gathered on the perfect lawn that ran from the large patio to the lake and docks below.
“That’s the boat I saw leaving below the cabin where you were taken,” Thorn said.
“And that’s the man,” she said as she spotted the boss in a small crowd of people at the temporary bar that had been set up under a tree. Again today he wore shorts, a T-shirt and boat shoes. “What do we do if he recognizes me?” she whispered.
“Nothing. We’re just here for the barbecue, so let’s get something to eat and let him find us.”
They walked toward the smell of brisket and pork ribs cooking on the massive portable grills that had been brought in. Nearby were tables filled with side dishes and even more tables with condiments and finally desserts.
A large group had gathered down at the docks where adults were sitting in dozens of lawn chairs or on the grass. Children were swimming, and what looked to be teenagers and older kids were going out on the lake on wakeboards and tubes.
“What can I get you?” one of the grillers asked as they approached.
JJ asked for the brisket while Thorn went for the ribs. As they moved to the first table, they scooped baked beans and potato salad onto their plates.
They were carrying their meals over to one of the almost empty tables when a man approached. “Enjoying the party?”
“We are, thanks,” Thorn said, and the man moved on to other guests. He resembled his
brother enough that JJ suspected he was a Brandemiller. She heard someone call the name Travis, and the man turned. Travis Brandemiller smiled and called that he was coming.
“He must be the brother, but he had no idea who we were,” she said after he left. “They just don’t seem like kidnappers to me.”
Thorn shrugged. “This little picnic has got to be setting them back a small fortune. Makes me wonder why at least one of the brothers had two of his men abduct you from Geneva’s house. Seems he was a little desperate to find her.”
They ate, watching the crowd. She knew Thorn was looking for the men who’d snatched her from Geneva’s house and taken her to the cabin. She hadn’t seen them in the crowd, but there were so many people at the party it was hard to say if they were here or not.
“Enjoying yourselves?”
She recognized the voice as the man stopped at their table. Everyone else had finished eating but them and left the table.
“We are,” Thorn said as the man slid in beside JJ.
“I wondered if you would show up here,” the man said.
“It’s a lot nicer than the root cellar where you left her,” Thorn said.
The man smiled. “I’m sorry, I don’t believe I caught your name.”
“Thorn, and this is JJ, but you two have already met,” he said. “We didn’t catch your name, though.”
“Ridge. Ridge Brandemiller, but apparently you know my last name because here you are at my party.”
“We saw the note on the door at your office and were hungry,” Thorn said. “Also, we were wondering why a successful construction company owner would get involved in kidnapping.”
“Kidnapping?” Ridge shook his head and looked around to make sure no one was nearby and listening.
“How else would you describe it?” JJ asked.
The man looked over at her with his piercing blue eyes. “I told my men to give Geneva a ride to meet me at the property because I would be there checking on a job we’re doing. That’s all.”